After the car accident, my boyfriend got straight

After the lights went out in the evening, the two of them lay on their respective beds, surrounded by the serene darkness of the night. Only the occasional chirping of cicadas outside disturbed the silence.

Shen Li turned over and couldn’t help but look at the slight movement on the opposite bed. Through the faint moonlight from the window, he could make out the figure.

The air conditioning in the room was on, and cold air blew down from the ceiling. Jiang Shiyu curled up under the covers, the thin blanket outlining the slender curve of his body. His hands were resting under his cheeks, with only his eyes visible above the blanket, while his nose and mouth were covered.

Tsk, the doctor had just reminded him not to cover his mouth and nose while sleeping to ensure proper airflow. But now, he was so deep in sleep that only his hair was sticking out.

Shen Li stared at the snowy-white thigh on the opposite bed, recalling the feeling when he touched Jiang Shiyu’s belly through his clothes earlier that afternoon. It was soft, like the belly of a small animal. Jiang Shiyu would shrink and shiver whenever he touched him, blushing all over. Was he always so sensitive and shy when they were together before?

As he pondered, the person on the bed turned over, humming softly as he buried his head deeper into the covers.

He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, realizing what he had been thinking. His gaze became complicated in an instant.

The bedsheet and duvet cover Auntie had brought over in the afternoon were light in color and of good quality, which Jiang Shiyu should like very much. He probably wanted to bury himself in the blanket entirely.

After finally digging Jiang Shiyu out from under the covers, revealing his mouth and nose, he held his chin with his hand, preventing him from burying his head again. Jiang Shiyu looked at him with a pouting and aggrieved expression, making soft humming noises like a little kitten.

“Don’t bury your head in the pillow or blanket. Do you hear me?”

After threatening him in a low voice, Shen Li gently shook his chin, teasing him as if he were coaxing a cat to sleep, a smile hidden in his eyes, unbeknownst even to himself.

The next morning, Jiang Shiyu opened his eyes groggily. Above him was the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling. It took him a moment to remember that school had started again, and he was now living in the dormitory.

His blood sugar was usually at its lowest in the morning, and he needed about fifteen minutes to half an hour lying in bed to fully wake up. So, he lay there quietly, like a little zombie, staring straight at the ceiling, his head still spinning a bit.

Shen Li thought he might be having some kind of medical issue, and rushed over to help him out of bed, pulling the covers off him. But then, he saw him lying there quietly, maintaining the sleeping position he had fixed him in the night before, with his hands by his sides and his legs straight. 

The blanket was tightly tucked around him, making it impossible for him to move or even burrow into the covers.

This method was something he had seen while browsing videos. It was used to keep babies from rolling around while sleeping.

While it was okay to sleep like this, waking up with eyes wide open, straight and still like this, without moving at all, was a bit scary.

He hurriedly got up from his bed, not expecting Jiang Shiyu to react like this. He quickly approached him and pulled the covers off him, pausing his action when he noticed his puzzled expression.

“Why did you lift my covers, Shen Li?”

Shen Li paused his action of lifting the covers, and Jiang Shiyu sat quietly on the bed, his beautiful eyes showing confusion as he looked at him, waiting for an answer.

“Are you okay?”

Jiang Shiyu sat up on the bed, forced to wake up earlier than planned. His head was still a bit dizzy, and he looked at Shen Li, shaking his head. “I’m fine.”

“Why didn’t you answer when I called you just now?”

Jiang Shiyu looked innocent. “I just woke up, and my head isn’t clear yet. I automatically block out external noises for a while. It’ll be fine in a bit.”

It was the first time someone said their head wasn’t clear, sounding so reasonable.

He left the blanket and grabbed his sports bag from the table, leaving the dormitory without a word.

The music department’s schedule was quite packed right after school started. Jiang Shiyu finished packing up, slinging the bag with the school logo on it over his shoulder, and took the school bus to the classroom. As soon as he entered the room, Li Muzi waved at him.

“Shiyu, over here.”

Jiang Shiyu sat down next to him, and the two of them leaned their heads together, like two little cats, immediately chatting away.

With so much going on since the start of school yesterday, coupled with the changes during the summer vacation, Jiang Shiyu was feeling a bit heavy-hearted and not in the mood to talk much with Li Muzi. But today, with a good night’s sleep, good weather, and seeing his good friend, he felt much happier.

“I’m not saying, but this ugly school bag only looks good on you, others put it on and feel like they’re about to go to the supermarket to snatch discounted vegetables.”

Jiang Shiyu had just prepared to take out his water bottle from his bag when Li Muzi’s words made him pause. He looked at the bag carefully and said seriously, “I think this bag is very good, it’s big and can hold a lot.”

Li Muzi was amused by his serious expression and leaned against him, laughing.

He poked his shoulder, tentatively asking him, “Shiyu, what are you going to do about you and Shen Li in the future?”

Yesterday, he was in a hurry, blurting out all sorts of nonsense. Although in Li Muzi’s heart, Jiang Shiyu was perfect in every way, good-looking, with a good personality, excellent grades, and skilled in playing the piano. In short, he was better than anyone else, and not to mention pairing him with Shen Li, even pairing him with the Jade Emperor would be more than enough. 

Ever since the accident and his return home, Jiang Shiyu seemed to be gradually accepting the situation and adopting an attitude of going with the flow towards this relationship. 

But deep down, he cared a lot, crying quietly in bed countless times during those midnight hours, with no one to confide in.

Facing his best friend now, he couldn’t hold back his inner grievances and ended up with red eyes.

Li Muzi, feeling like he was facing a major crisis, looked around anxiously. Fortunately, the two of them were sitting at the back, and no one noticed anything unusual. “Shiyu, Shiyu,” he called his name, unsure how to comfort him, his golden hair soft and drooping, tugging at his shoulders.

Jiang Shiyu lay on Li Muzi’s shoulder, tears silently streaming down his face, as if he wanted to vent all the grievances of this period. 

He cried quietly, without making a sound, but Li Muzi could feel his immense sadness, unable to do anything but quietly accompany him.

The first class today was a theory class, and the teachers didn’t take attendance. Li Muzi secretly pulled Jiang Shiyu out through the back door, and Jiang Shiyu, still choked up, said with a hoarse voice on the way, “Skipping class doesn’t seem right, should we go back?”

Li Muzi stopped in his tracks, took out his phone from his bag, and aimed the camera at his face. His eyes were red from crying, and his nose was red too, looking pitiful, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

“Do you still want to go back to class?” He asked.

Jiang Shiyu paused for a second, “I’ve already studied this chapter at home, so it’s okay to miss one class.”

The two of them ran to a nearby milk tea shop near the school gate, ordered two cups of milk tea, and chose a corner on the second floor where they could see pedestrians and vehicles outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Jiang Shiyu felt a bit dizzy from crying, so he hugged his taro coconut milk tea and drank it slowly. The warm coconut milk eased his discomfort as it flowed down his dry throat.

“Muzi, this coconut milk tea is really delicious. Let’s pack one to take away when we leave later.”

Li Muzi supported his forehead with his hand, sometimes not knowing whether Jiang Shiyu was sensitive or indifferent. He had just cried as if the sky was falling, and the next second he was holding his milk tea, swollen-eyed, saying he wanted another cup to go.

He snatched Jiang Shiyu’s milk tea and took a big sip, but Jiang Shiyu didn’t get angry. With his beautiful cat-like eyes swollen from crying, it was a bit funny to see him eagerly watching his good friend taste his milk tea.

“How is it? Is it delicious?”

Li Muzi pushed the milk tea back, “It’s… okay.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You almost fooled me again. Jiang Shiyu, we skipped class to solve a problem, don’t change the subject.”

Jiang Shiyu, feeling caught, awkwardly pointed a finger at his milk tea cup, “What problem are we solving?”

Li Muzi, frustrated, reached out to pinch his cheek. It was soft and easy to bully, no wonder Shen Li could eat him up.

“What are you going to do about you and Shen Li?”

Jiang Shiyu slumped his shoulders, dejected, “I don’t know. He lost his memory and still firmly believes he’s straight. He just asks me to stay away from him. I don’t know what to do.”

“Does that mean you’ll just break up?”

“I don’t want to, but he sees me now as if he wants me to stay far away from him. I’m afraid of seeing disgust in his eyes.” After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, his little face looking desolate.

Li Muzi also felt sorry for him, “But you can’t just avoid it. You used to live in the Shen family’s house, and now you’re living in the dormitory. You’re everywhere. If you don’t solve this problem, it won’t just affect you, even the Shen family’s parents will feel estranged from you in the future.”

His words hit Jiang Shiyu’s chest like an arrow, making it hard for him to breathe, forcing him to wake up.

Since the car accident and Shen Li’s amnesia, he had been avoiding everything, not wanting to face Shen Li who had forgotten him, not daring to face the image of himself in Shen Li’s eyes, afraid of seeing disgust in them. But Li Muzi was right, avoiding it wouldn’t solve anything.

Boom! Jiang Shiyu slammed his milk tea on the table, his eyes determined, startling Li Muzi.

“Muzi, you’re right. I can’t keep avoiding it. I have to face it! I have to solve it.”

At this moment, a group of students from the Department of Sports walked up the stairs, and one of them, particularly tall, stood out. 

He wore a black hoodie with the zipper pulled up to cover his defined jawline, loose half-length pants, limited edition sneakers, and a huge sports bag slung over his shoulder, giving off a lazy yet dangerous vibe.

The other  boys behind him were still laughing and joking about something, but Shen Li stopped on the wooden steps, his hands in his pockets, his gaze locked straight onto the slender figure not far away.

He squinted his eyes and recognized the golden-haired person opposite, the one who had called him a lazy snake in the dormitory yesterday.

Jiang Shiyu and Li Muzi were discussing how to help Shen Li regain his memory, when suddenly a figure approached, casting a shadow over their table.

Jiang Shiyu thought it was just a passerby and didn’t pay much attention, grabbing his phone to take notes while listening to Li Muzi’s suggestions.

“What are you two talking about so seriously? Speak up, I want to hear.”

A deep male voice came from beside them, startling Jiang Shiyu and Li Muzi like frightened little cats. If they had tails, they would have been wagging furiously by now.

Jiang Shiyu’s eyes widened, his black pupils reflecting Shen Li’s figure. Shen Li had approached them, and he could see the red marks and swollen eyelids under his eyes. His face immediately darkened.

“Who bullied you?”